Tried sidemount - good experience

[Marie13]

I'm 5'5", and I'm what I refer to as "sturdy French-Canadian peasant stock."

 

[raftingtigger]

I'm 5'5", and I'm what I refer to as "sturdy French-Canadian peasant stock."

My reference to size and strength were more for the diver using the HP100s. You are similar size to me.

 

[Doby45]

I have used HP100s, LP95s and LP85s all very common drysuit cave diving tanks. I don't find my 100s to be much heavier than an AL80 above water. I simply plop one at a time up on my shoulder and carry it to the entry area. Difference is that while I am doing that carrying, I am not also carrying 20lb of lead on my harness.

Luxfer AL80 dry weight 31.4
Catalina AL80 dry weight 31.6
PST HP100 dry weight 34

So 2 extra pounds dry but also a butt load more air.

 

[UWZen]

You can dive twin HP100s in sidemount with a cold water/ heavy steel tanks rig no problem. HP100s are pretty versatile cylinders, BM singles, doubles, and SM. Just don't expect to pull off all the Steve Martin/Boegarts SM ballet tricks gracefully with those tanks.

 

[UWZen]

In true sidemounting and no-mount conditions you want to be weighted neutrally independently of your cylinders (unlike with BM) so that removal and manipulation doesn't affect your buoyancy. Alis (and light steels) are your friends here.
For cold water diving in thick wetsuit/drysuit where a lot of weight is required, using heavy steels cylinders allows the negative weight of cylinders to act as some of the required ballast. If you don't plan on squeezing through minuscule restrictions, and are diving SM as a lifestyle alternative to BM doubles for gas/redundancy, HP/heavy steels are great for minimizing the lead you need to carry.

 

[stretchthepenn]

NOOOOO.... Do NOT use HP steel tanks for SM. They are too heavy and feel terrible underwater - at least in my opinion.

Disagree. I've got a pair of HP 120s, and I love 'em for SM. Of course, I'm 6'4", so I can use the weight, and their placement works for me. YMMV.

 

[Schwob]

In true sidemounting and no-mount conditions you want to be weighted neutrally independently of your cylinders (unlike with BM) so that removal and manipulation doesn't affect your buoyancy. Alis (and light steels) are your friends here.
For cold water diving in thick wetsuit/drysuit where a lot of weight is required, using heavy steels cylinders allows the negative weight of cylinders to act as some of the required ballast. If you don't plan on squeezing through minuscule restrictions, and are diving SM as a lifestyle alternative to BM doubles for gas/redundancy, HP/heavy steels are great for minimizing the lead you need to carry.

@UWZen
Could you / Would you double check my thinking here, if maybe I sort of understood what you might be saying should be considered.
I am not a SM diver yet but sort of got the gear awaiting opportunity to get on with it. (currently just AL80s, but looking for larger tanks fo single backmount and maybe also doubles (tried double 120s, heavy as hell, but very workable after I figured out trim... more so with a table on land than w/o...)
Anyway, SM, this is what I seem to understand:

- If the tanks stay by your side and you are not pivoting one or both tanks in front of you for training or to push through restrictions, use whatever you can make work and maybe enjoy heavy HPs and less weight on you.

- If you are going to pivot the tanks forward and they are heavy and you are light, because you were saving that weight on you by going with dense tanks, then how much is your trim going to get f'd up and how much fun ate you going to have with that....

If I understand that about right so far (not sure, appreciate a knock on the head), then I am still a bit lost, because:

- So if I am neutrally bouyant and in trim w/o tanks and my tanks are neutrally bouyant too, it would be perfect. Of course tanks dont stay at whatever bouancy they have, so pivoting any tanks forward is bound to change trim ---- or?

- so, is the thought here then: Yes, but less so, the less they are away from neutral?

How many pounds away from neutral (tank x2) can one deal with and still manage trim with the tanks forward?
Or do you guys move a weight around on you for that? But the gas in two HP 100s weighs what, 12+ lbs, so the tanks pivoted out in front could easily be 6... 8 maybe 10 (although restrictions with that little gas ate probably a umb idea) lighter than initially. Swung out in front thats a big difference in trim. How do you guys deal with it?

Much appreciate some eyeopening insight...

 

[Marie13]

In true sidemounting and no-mount conditions you want to be weighted neutrally independently of your cylinders (unlike with BM) so that removal and manipulation doesn't affect your buoyancy. Alis (and light steels) are your friends here.
For cold water diving in thick wetsuit/drysuit where a lot of weight is required, using heavy steels cylinders allows the negative weight of cylinders to act as some of the required ballast. If you don't plan on squeezing through minuscule restrictions, and are diving SM as a lifestyle alternative to BM doubles for gas/redundancy, HP/heavy steels are great for minimizing the lead you need to carry.

Bolded is exactly why I want to do SM. Cave diving is not something I'm ever planning on doing. The only wreck penetration I'm going to be doing for the foreseeable future is within the exterior light zone.

 

[Marie13]

I have used HP100s, LP95s and LP85s all very common drysuit cave diving tanks. I don't find my 100s to be much heavier than an AL80 above water. I simply plop one at a time up on my shoulder and carry it to the entry area. Difference is that while I am doing that carrying, I am not also carrying 20lb of lead on my harness.

Luxfer AL80 dry weight 31.4
Catalina AL80 dry weight 31.6
PST HP100 dry weight 34

So 2 extra pounds dry but also a butt load more air.

I want that butt load more air! And I'd just wheel them down to the water at the quarry...

 

[kelemvor]

NOOOOO.... Do NOT use HP steel tanks for SM. They are too heavy and feel terrible underwater - at least in my opinion. You want fairly neutral tanks. AL 80s are great in warm water and with light wetsuits. I use LP steel 72s (the old ones) and they are great. I have heard that LP 85s are nice too.

Good news is a pair of LP 72s will cost you very little. My last pair off of Craigslist (in Hydro) were $50 for the PAIR.

I think tank selection is super subjective. I've quite enjoyed my heavy worthington lp108's in sidemount. I borrowed some lighter lp95's once and they were much nicer to dive with. Although I wasn't thrilled with the idea of carrying less gas I think I could get used to it at some point. I personally don't think I'd ever be comfortable with something as small (gas wise) as an lp72 or al80. Yet I know others that love and swear by the smaller tanks.

My point? Different folks, different strokes, yadda yadda yadda.

Bolded is exactly why I want to do SM. Cave diving is not something I'm ever planning on doing. The only wreck penetration I'm going to be doing for the foreseeable future is within the exterior light zone.

Oh! I thought your comment about going to the dark side meant cave or wreck.